84 



YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



Favors willow - bordered bodies of 

 fresh water. Summer R.; M. widely. 

 C. V. in the Yoscmite region. Recorded 

 at Merced Lake and in Yosemite Val- 

 ley. 



COMMON EGRET (Casmerodius 

 albus): 37-42 in. Plumage entirely 

 white; long plumes extend from upper 

 back to beyond tail in breeding season; 

 long black legs and feet; long yellow 

 hill (yellow reduced in immatures). 

 Often nests in large trees. 



Frequents marshes, wet meadows, 

 lake margins, and tidefiats. Wanders 

 extensively. C.V. in Yosemite region; 

 occasionally seen in Yosemite Valley. 



GREEN HERON 



16-18 



.,»(• -llH'-; 



COMMON EGRET 



37-42 



SNOWY EGRET (Leucophoyx 

 thula): 20-27 in. Similar to common 

 egret except smaller; plumes on back 

 recurved; legs and bill black; webs of 

 feet yellow. Nests in dense tules. 



C.V. in Yosemite region. 



GOOSE-LIKE BIRDS: 

 Order Anserifomies 



DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS: 

 Family Anatidae 



CANADA GOOSE (Branta cana- 

 densis): 23-42 in. Plumage generally 

 brownish-gray above; belly and flanks 

 gray to chocolate (western Canada 

 goose) ; under tail coverts and rump 

 white; head and neck black; white bib 

 extends well up on sides of head; par- 

 tial white collar sometimes present near 

 base of black neck. The four sub- 

 species show a considerable range in 

 size — honker Canada goose, 35-42 in.; 

 western C. g., 35 in.; lesser C. g., 

 25-34 in.; and cackling C. g., 23-25 in. 



Frequents lakes, reservoirs, quiet 

 water of larger streams, marshes, and 

 wet grassland. O. V. to Yosemite re- 

 gion. Has been seen on Mirror Lake 

 and the Merced River. 



MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos): 

 20-28 in. Head and upper neck glossy, 

 dark green; fore-neck and breast ruddy; 

 narrow white collar, incomplete behind ; 

 speculum — -a pigmented area of the 

 wing involving the secondary feathers — 

 blue, bordered on each side by white; 

 tail white with black center; flanks 

 gray; bill yellowish; feet reddish-orange. 

 Female: Above generally mottled 

 brown ; dark line through eye bordered 

 above with buffy; top of head and back 

 of neck dark brown ; below light brown ; 

 greenish wing-patch bordered on each 

 side by white. In flight, comparatively 

 slow wingstrokes with downward sweep 

 reaching little below level of body; un- 

 der side of wings silvery white. Voice 

 of female a loud, frequently repeated 

 quack ; that of male weaker. Often seeks 



